Reviews

Happy Hollow

Literally hailing from Middle America, Cursive has seemed to redefine itself with every subsequent release. Although by now it's a bit dated, Happy Hollow is no different. But this album is so different I couldn't resist reviewing it for this issue. With the cellist Gretta Cohn jettisoning herself from the fold, the rest of this band turns its lates effort into a multidimensional construct with an almost finite density that makes the album sound like a polyphonic beat! They bland guitars and keyboards, giving songs a thick richness, which the band makes work to its advantage. So what difference does it make? Well, it's on "Big Bang" where Cursive delivers its most pragmatic delivery, utilizing horns in a singular motion as vocalist Tim Kasher gives a clear linear perspective from a big bang theory to religosity. The band delivers its power musically. Kasher continues his narrative on religion with a storyline of two priests on the gloriously melodic "Bad Sects". Lightly played, the band utilizes its powerful dynamics when necessary and Kasher shrieks along at the top of his lungs when he must. Happy Hollow is non-stop with interesting moments from song to song, and shows listeners that they're much more than a one-trick pony.